pyxidium

[pik-sid-ee-uh m]

noun, plural pyx·id·i·a

[pik-sid-ee-uh] /pɪkˈsɪd i ə/. Botany.

a seed vessel that opens transversely, the top part acting as a lid, as in the purslane.

Origin of pyxidium

1825–35; < New Latin < Greek pyxídion a little box, equivalent to pyxid- (stem of pyxís) a box + -ion diminutive noun suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pyxidium

Historical Examples of pyxidium

Pyxis, Pyxidium, a pod opening round horizontally by a lid, 124.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for pyxidium

pyxidium

pyxis (ˈpɪksɪs)

noun plural -ia (-ɪə) or pyxides (ˈpɪksɪˌdiːz)

the dry fruit of such plants as the plantain: a capsule whose upper part falls off when mature so that the seeds are released

Word Origin for pyxidium

C19: via New Latin from Greek puxidion a little box, from puxis box, pyx

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012